Can a bill to boost Mexican American and Black ethnic studies pass in Texas?

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March 10, 2023

By Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News

A bipartisan bill reintroduced in the Texas Legislature would make Mexican American and Black ethnic studies courses a social studies option in all school districts. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images file)

Texas Rep. Christina Morales, a Houston Democrat, knows her quest to pass a bipartisan bill that would require Mexican American and Black studies to be offered in every school district has gotten tougher. But then, she said, history abounds with Latinos and others succeeding amid seemingly insurmountable barriers.

“My grandparents had the first Latino-owned funeral home and the first Spanish-language radio station in the entire Gulf Coast,” Morales said. Her grandmother was part of the League of United Latin American Citizens and other organizations formed to help promote Latino businesses.

[…]

“So many kids in our community … they need hope in seeing people who look like them and share similar stories of how they overcame obstacles and became leaders in the community,” said Morales.

Mexican American and African American studies already are elective courses in Texas, but they are not offered in all of its 1,250 school districts. Currently, 63 districts teach Mexican American studies, and 58 teach African American studies.

The bill reintroduced by Morales would require all districts to offer the courses as social studies options in addition to world history and world geography.

The original article describes a similar bill from 2021.

Meanwhile, in Florida, an AP studies course in African American history has caused controversy.

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